Hat shell or liner



Aug. 24, 1954 F. s. BEIGHTON 2,686,918

HAT SHELL OR LINER Filed May 16, 1951 INVENTOR FRANKLIN G.BE|GHTON ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 24, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAT SHELL on LINER Franklin G. Bei ghton, Antigo, Wis. Application May 16, 1951, Serial No. 226,677

a 1 Claim. 1

This. invention appertains to wearing app and more particularly to a novel attachment or accessory for mens felt and like hats.

One of the primary objects of my invention, is to provide a freely insertable light-weight shell for mens hats, so as to aid in effectively holding the shape of the hat under constant usage, and for preventing the soiling of the hat from perspiration, grease and the like.

Another salient object of my invention is the provision of a pre-formed thin, light plastic shell having a desired shape for fitting within a hat and supported by the sweat band thereof, for preventing the crushing of the crown of the hat, and at the same time permitting the top of the crown of the hat to be creased and the front thereof pressed in to give a desired hat style shape.

A further important object of my invention,

is the provision of a prefabricated hat shell form which, while possessing certain desired rigidity or shape, will still be flexible under pressure so that the hat will be soft to handle and will not possess a hard, stiff appearance.

A still further object of my invention is the provision of a light, plastic shell shaped to fit within the crown of a hat, having means for permitting the shaping of the crown around the form, and with means for permitting expansion of the shell to facilitate the placing of the hat on the head of a wearer.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and formation of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically described and claimed,

and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which drawing,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hat with the shell placed therein, parts of the hat and shell being broken away and in section.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the shell removed from the hat.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the hat with the shell therein.

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional view through the hat, with the shell therein, the section being taken on the line 44 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional viewtaken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail sectional view, illustrating a means for attaching the shell within the hat.

Referring to the drawing in detail, wherein 2 similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter S generally indicates my novel shell or liner for facilitating the holding of the shape of a felt, or like hat, H.

The hat H itself, forms no part of the present invention, and as illustrated, includes a crown ID, a brim H, a sweat band l2 and a finishing ribbon [3.

The shell S is molded, or otherwise formed, from thin. plastic material, preferably, but not necessarily of a transparent nature. The use of thin plastic to form the shell is ideal for the purpose, in that, the plastic possesses sufficient rigidity or firmness to hold a hat shape, but at the same time has a certain degree of flexibility. Likewise, the plastic is water and. grease proof, and hence prevents the soiling of the hat by perspiration and hair grease.

As best shown in Figure 2, the shell includes curved side Walls I4 and I 5, a front rounded wall l6, and a rear rounded wall 11. In general, the shell is of an elliptical shape in plan, but preferably tapers toward the front thereof. The top and bottom of the shell is open, but in accordance with my invention, the top edge of the shell is provided with curved-in flanges it, which not only eliminate sharp edges to prevent injury of the hat crown, but also provide an adequate support for the top of the hat crown and permit the forming or shaping of the top of the crown around the shell. The side walls 14 and I5 of the shell adjacent to the front thereof, are provided with elongated openings l9, and the walls of the openings are likewise flanged-in as at 20. The openings l9 preferably incline rearwardly and downwardly and form means whereby the front of the crown can be pressed inwardly to give a desired shape at the front of the hat. The rear wall l of the shell, is provided with a slot 2 I, which opens out through the lower edge of the shell. The upper end of the slot 2 I terminates in a rounded opening 22, which eliminates the tearing of the shell, due to the weakening thereof by the slot 2!. The slot 2|, permits expansion of the shell as a hat is placed on the head of a wearer.

In use of the invention, the shell S is placed within the crown of the hat, with the lower edge of the shell placed between the sweat band I2 and the crown of the hat. The sweat band forms an ideal means for supporting the shell. The hat can now be pressed in at the top and sides around the shell, so that the hat will be given a pleasing appearance. The shell will now efiectively support the crown of the hat against crushing and the shell forms a means for permitting the shaping of the hat.

If preferred, snap fasteners can be used for holding the shell in position against accidental displacement, see Figure 6, in which instance one part 24 of the fastener can be carried by the shell and the other part 25 carried by the crown or sweat band, as shown.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that I have provided an exceptionally simple and convenient means for permitting the shaping of a hat and for holding the crown of the hat against crushing movement and soiling from perspiration.

If desired, the shell S can be made in different hat sizes. Also if desired, a fabric covering, such as cheese cloth or the like can be glued or pasted on the outer face of the shell for engaging the felt of the hat to prevent slipping of the shell in the crown.

Changes in details may be made without departing from the spirit or the scope of this invention, but what -I claim as new is:

As a new article of manufacture, a shape-retaining liner for the crowns of hats formed from thin flexible plastic material including outward- 1y curved side walls and rounded front and rear walls, inturned hat forming flanges on the upper edge of the walls, said walls and flanges being of a size and configuration to fit within and re-- tain the shape of a hat crown, each of said side walls having adjacent to the upper front portion thereof an enlarged elongated elliptical opening with the portion of the walls defining the openings being curved inwardly, said enlarged elongated elliptical openings being aligned andextending rearwardly and downwardly from the said upper front portion of the sidewalls, whereby the corresponding upper front side portions of the hat crown may be pressed inwardly to give a desired shape to the front portion of the hat, and said rear wall being provided with a vertical slot opening out through the lower edge thereof to permit expansion of the shell.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date.

1,275,023 Hausinger 'Aug. '6, 19.18 1,391,123 Koyomjian Sept. 20, 1921 1,789,188 McGuigan Jan. 13, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number 7 Country Date 55,916 Great Britain Dec. 29, 1920 

